The present invention relates to a bandage for the knee joint of elastic bandage cloth in tubular form having a front bandage portion and a rearward bandage portion and at least one longitudinally extending spring rod.
The knee is the most injury-prone joint of the body and, at the same time, the joint which is most frequently affected by arthroses since it is instable and bears the full weight of the body. Muscular imbalances are also frequently the reason for pains in the anterior knee cap. Particularly in persons who pursue sedentary professions, the ischiocrural musculature is for the most part contracted and draws the articular capsule to the rear, whereby the contact pressure is increased in an unphysiological fashion. Sporting injuries of the knee joint result above all when football is played and when skiing by a sudden twisting of the lower leg and due to the weight being placed on the same. Lesions of the knee mostly result in local pain. The complexity of the joint renders the exact diagnosis difficult. That is why it frequently happens that patients fail to receive the correct initial treatment which may lead to degenerative diseases later on.
For the medical care of injuries to the knee, a great variety of therapeutic aids for the immobilization or the restricted movement as well as for supporting and relieving the knee joint are available. Also a wealth of products supply the area of active bandages, as are not available in such a wide range for any other part of the body. Thus, from the DE-A 34 16 231, a knee bandage for being slipped on of elastic material with, if necessary, sewn-in longitudinally proceeding springs for reinforcing the medial and lateral side of the knee joint, a recess for the patella and a padding surrounding the recess is known, in which case the padding which surrounds the recess is constructed in such a way that a contact pressure on the patellar ligament results which relieves the femoropatellar gliding surface. On this occasion the padding surrounds the recess in a U-shaped manner, the U shape being open in the upward direction. The padding constitutes an elastic U-shaped element sewn into the knee joint bandage which surrounds the recess solely laterally and from below. This element is comprised of silicon material or of rubber. In addition, the U-shaped element is constructed in the form of a bead facing the body with its convex side. However, what is essential in this knee joint bandage is that the main volume of the padding or of the bead is disposed above the patellar ligament. Apart from a pleasant wearing sensation it is intended to achieve an optimal relief of the knee joint while the same is guided at the same time so as to ensure an as short as possible and gentle recovery in the case of injuries, irritations or other pathological conditions. However, no pressure relief on the patellar ligament is provided by this knee joint bandage for it is after all a contact pressure which is intended to be achieved onto the patellar ligament. The knee joint bandage according to the DE-U 90 04 974 comprises a downwardly conically tapering knee stocking of an elastic material, such as a rubber fabric. On its front side, within the region of the patella, the knee stocking carries two mounting means extending downwardly from the top which support the patella laterally while the same rests on their underside. This knee joint bandage is intended to permit a vertical change of the patella relative to the muscles, but to retain the patella vis-a-vis the gliding surface in the raised state by supporting the patella from below.
The DE-A 39 91 334 describes an elastic knee joint bandage in tubular form having an elastic shaped insert embracing the patella in a recess. Into the shaped insert, firmly connected with the same, a flexible, non-extensible tightening member is embedded which connects the regions of the shaped insert adjacent to the patellar poles in the fibular side in an arc around the patella in such a way that, when the distance of these regions is increased when the knee joint is flexed, the distance of the arc from the connection line of the patellar poles is decreased and the border in question of the recess of the shaped insert presses onto the adjacent side of the patella while medially displacing and centering the same. With this knee bandage it is intended to dynamically influence a patella which, from its ideal position, is displaced on the fibular side either pathologically or in the form of a very frequent variant from the norm during the flexion of the knee joint in order to correct the patellar position in the process. However, when the knee joint is flexed, the clasp used in this knee joint bandage is pulled apart with the result that the clasp straightens out and the desired centering effect is not fully achieved.
The invention is based upon the technical problem of providing a bandage for the knee joint, hereinafter referred to as genu knee joint bandage and knee joint bandages based upon the same hereinafter referred to as patella knee joint bandage to be employed where a lateralization tendency of the patella exists, with the aid of which the following is intended to be achieved.
Support of the physiotherapy. An important component of the physiotherapeutical treatment being the stretching of the ischiocrural muscles. PA1 Relief of the knee joint and the patella. PA1 Bringing about a speedy detumescence, alleviation of pain and functional improvement. PA1 Performing an intermittent compression and massage on the articular soft tissue. PA1 Avoiding an undesirable pressure on the patella and the cartilaginous layer located therebeneath. PA1 Reduction of the contact pressure on the patella. PA1 Maintenance of the physiological gliding ability of the patella. PA1 Relieving the attachment of the ischiocrural muscles. PA1 Avoiding an undesirable pressure on the nerves and blood vessels which run in the hollow of the knee. PA1 Avoiding negative effects on the muscular activity. PA1 Avoiding a creasing of the bandage in the hollow of the knee. PA1 No impairment of the function of the quadriceps tendon of pulling the patella into its correct position, PA1 lateral guidance of the patella for reducing the lateral deviation. PA1 Irritations and overload phenomena of the knee joint. PA1 Distorsions and contusions. PA1 Articular effusions and tumefactions in arthrosis and arthritis. PA1 Myotenopathies. PA1 Weakness of the ligaments. PA1 Patellar point syndrome. PA1 Dislocation tendency of the patella. PA1 lateralization tendency of the patella. PA1 Patellar chondropathy.
In this connection, the patella knee joint bandage is, over and above that, intended to possess the following properties: